9-Year-Old’s Sketch Gives Police A Break In Criminal Case

SPRINGVILLE, Utah – Police often turn to sketch artists to help them solve crimes, but they don’t usually rely on 9-year-olds with a set of markers.

Sketch artists can turn a description into an image that generates leads from the public. Those artists are trained to listed to a victim or witness, and put what they hear to paper.

Officers with the Springville Police Department were optimistic about a different kind of sketch in a theft investigation. It wasn’t drawn by anyone in their police department.

Symoni Berg, who is just nine years old, sketched something with markers, that investigators may really help them to solve a stolen package case.

“I don’t like to draw every day,” Symoni told KSL. “I do it when I am bored.”

On Saturday, she witnessed something very unusual in the front of her house, not long after the postal carrier came.

“They did a U-turn in front of our house, and then they came up and the person in the passenger seat took the mail, and then they drove off,” she said.

It may be a first… A sketch of a suspect that police believe is a crucial clue to solving a crime— drawn by a nine year old girl! Don’t miss this on @KSL5TV at 6. @SpringvilleDPS pic.twitter.com/6GBKhy2ZT7

— Sam Penrod (@KSLsampenrod) July 15, 2019

The package that was stolen contained two books for her older sister’s honors English class, including George Orwell’s, 1984.

Knowing a package from Amazon had been delivered, Symoni’s mom got out the markers and put her to work.

“My mom asked me to draw a picture so she could see what the truck looked like,” she said.

Little did anyone know just how accurate her sketch really was.

“It’s the first case I can ever remember of a nine-year-old girl being a sketch artist for the police,” said Chief Craig Martinez, with the Springville Police Department.

As investigators looked through camera footage in the neighborhood, Symoni’s drawing quickly narrowed their investigation.

“We knew which (truck) we are looking for when we look at all the cars passing the homes, because of the picture that she drew,” he added.

Police believe the truck is a Mazda, and may be easier to identify because of the rack in the truck’s bed, which was the distinguishing feature of Symoni’s sketch.

“(She is a) very, very intuitive nine-year-old girl, so we appreciate her help. We look forward to arresting these folks and using that sketch in court,” said Chief Martinez.

Police were confident that because of the unique look of the truck, that someone will recognize it.

Anyone with information about the truck has been asked to call the Springville Police Department at 801-489-9421.